Hawaii shooting suspect ordered held on $5M bail

HONOLULU – A pastor's son charged in a Hawaii shooting rampage that killed a mother of 10 and injured two others was ordered Monday to be held on $5 million bail.

Toby Stangel, 28, of Wahaiwa faces 15 felony counts, including murder, attempted murder and firearms violations.

He was dressed in a white, inmate jumpsuit with his wrists and ankles in shackles during his first court appearance. He didn't speak.

District Court Judge Leslie Hayashi confirmed his bail, informed Stangel of the felony charges, and told him not to talk about the case with anyone but his court-appointed lawyer.

Stangel is accused of opening fire on vehicles stopped in an intersection and then shooting two more people on the H-1 freeway, the main highway through the heart of Honolulu.

A group of about 10 friends and church members sat in court to support Stangel.

"He's still family. He needs help. Hopefully he'll get the treatment he needs while he's in custody, and we're going to stand behind him," Bob Prasser, an elder at North Shore Christian Fellowship, said after the hearing.

Stangel's father, the Rev. Mike Stangel, was in California on Monday for a conference of pastors and a vacation. Prasser said he encouraged his pastor to remain in California to get support from his colleagues.

The Rev. Stangel declined to comment when reached by phone Monday, but the family released a statement over the weekend.

"We are broken and sick with grief. ... We wish we had an explanation, but there simply is none. Those who know us, know we have always loved our son with unconditional love," the parents said in the statement.

Police have said the 17-minute shooting spree started when Toby Stangel got out of his car, walked up to vehicles stopped at an intersection and fired a gun.

A mother of 10 children, 54-year-old Tammy Nguyen of Honolulu, was shot in her van with her 16-year-old daughter sitting beside her.

Stangel also is accused of shooting two other people on the H-1 freeway. Amie Lou Asuncion, 24, of Honolulu was shot twice in the shoulder. Samson Naupoto, 38, of Honolulu was shot when he stopped to help her.

Five other people were shot at, including two police officers at a traffic stop, but they weren't injured.

None of the victims knew the suspect.

Judge Hayashi set a preliminary hearing in the case for Wednesday.